Loading mechanism for conveyers.



No. 672,42l. Patented Apr. 16, IQUL A. L. LE GRAND.

LOADING MECHANISM FOR CONVEYERS. (Application filed Sept. 14, 1900.)

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATEN AUGUSTUS L. LE GRAND, OF WEST PITTSTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

LOADING MECHANISM FOR CONVEYERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 672,421, dated April 16, 1901.

' Application filed September 14, 1900. Serial No. 80,031. No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that LAUGUSTUS L. LE GRAND, a citizen of the United States, residing at West 'Pittston, in the county of Luzerne andsitions regardless of changes of relation between the buckets and the links of the chains. Conveyers of this type are ordinarily equipped with one or more loading-stations, at each of which is located a chute for depositing the material into the buckets as they are successively presented under the chute and an endless guard-carrier provided with guard-plates of various designs designed to be located intermediate of the buckets for the purpose of preventing the gravitation of the material between the buckets during the loading of the conveyer.

The object of my invention is to provide a guard-carrier of peculiar form designed to effectually guard the spaces between the buckets and to insure the movement of the guard-carrier at exactly the speed of the conveyer to prevent the possible displacement of the guard-plates from their proper positions with respect to the conveyor-buckets.

To the accomplishment of these objects the invention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described,illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and defided in the appended claims.

In said drawing I have illustrated a portion of a guard-carrier and of a conveyer, the latter being partly in section.

Refering to the numerals of reference, 1 indicates a sprocket-wheel around which is led a guard-carrier 2, comprising a series of links 3, intermediate link-connectors at, and travelers 5, said travelers being designed to move in antifrictional contact with a guard-rail 6 in the manner well understood in the art. The lower horizontal run of the guard-carrier 2 is located directly above the horizontal run of a bucket conveyor 7, comprising links 8, link-connectors 9, and gravity-buckets 10, pivotally mounted upon the alternate connectors 9 of the conveyor.

As thus far described the device is ordinary; but I shall now proceed to describe that peculiar construction of the guard-carrier comprehending the embodiment of my invention. By reference to the drawing it will be seen that the links of the conveyor and those of the guard-carrier are of the same length, but are so relatively located that the connectors of the carrier and conveyor will be disposed in alternating arrangement, which results in bringing the middle or solid portion of each link of the carrier directly above a connector of the conveyor. This relation of the opposed links and connectors is designed for the purpose of permitting alternate links of the carrier to be equipped with angular guard-plates 11, designed to take over contiguous edges of adjacent buckets, and depending jaws 12, disposed above the axis of each bucket and designed to engage a projection 13, located at the axis of the bucket and upon either the interior or exterior thereof. Thus it will be seen that while the guard-carrier is directly geared to the conveyer by the cooperation of the jaws 12 and projections 13 said gearing does not interfere with the unrestricted axial movements of the buckets, which latter are guarded during the loading by the angular guard-plates 11, dependin g from each alternate link of the guardcarrier.

The aggroupment of elementsdescribed is conducive to the positive operation of the loading apparatus, for the reason that each link of the guard-carrier has a positive engagement with the conveyer, and vibration of the latter is resisted by a connection with the guard-carrier at a point adjacent to each connector of the conveyer.

From the foregoing it will be observed that I have produced a simple, eflicient, and positively-operating mechanism for guarding and retaining conveyor-buckets during the operation of loading; but while the present embodiment of the invention appears at this time to be preferable I wish to reserve the right to effect such changes, modifications, and variations as may be fairly embraced within the spirit of the invention.

What I claim is 1. The combination with a conveyer comprising a series of pivoted buckets, of a guardcarrier provided with a series of guard-plates each arranged for engagement with the adjacent edges of a pair of buckets to cause the guard-carrier and conveyer to move in unison, and auxiliary connecting devices for effecting the connection of the guard-carrier and conveyer, said auxiliary devices being disposed in alternating arrangement with the guard-plates.

2. The combination with a conveyer comprising a series of'pivoted buckets,of a guardcarrier composed of links, angular guardplates carried by alternate links and taking over the adjacent edges of contiguous buckets,

and jaws carried by the links alternating with the plate-carrying links and engaging the conveyer adjacent to the axes of the buckets.

veyer, angular guard-plates depending from 30 alternate links of the carrier and opposite alternate connectors of the conveyer for engagementwith the adjacent edges of contiguous buckets, and jaws depending from the other links of the carrier and engaging the axial projections of the conveyer-buckets.

' In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

AUGUSTUS L. LE GRAND. 

